| Jonah: (62-64) Verily, the friends of Allah...

Know that We have previously explained that His Almighty saying: {And you are not engaged in any affair, nor do you recite any portion of the Qur'an...} (Jonah: 61) serves to strengthen the hearts of the obedient and break the hearts of the transgressors. Therefore, Allah Almighty followed it up by explaining the states of the sincere, truthful, and righteous ones, which is mentioned in this verse.

There are several issues concerning this:

Issue 1: Defining the Wali (Friend of Allah) and the Negation of Fear and Grief

We must first clarify who the Wali is, and then explain the meaning of the negation of fear and grief concerning them.

The identity of the Wali is indicated by the Qur'an, Hadith, tradition, and rational proof.

1. The Qur'an: This verse itself indicates it: {Those who believed and were keeping themselves conscious of Allah.}
   • The phrase {believed} points to the perfection of the theoretical faculty (knowledge).
   • The phrase {were keeping themselves conscious of Allah} points to the perfection of the practical faculty (action).
   • Alternatively, Iman (belief) can be taken to encompass both creed and action, meaning the Wali was characterized by piety in all aspects.
   • Regarding piety in the realm of knowledge: Since the majesty of Allah is too sublime for human intellect to encompass, when the truthful one (Siddiq) describes Allah with an attribute of majesty, he sanctifies Allah from being limited to that known measure. When he worships Allah, he sanctifies Allah from the notion that service befitting His greatness can be confined to that measure. Thus, it is established that he is perpetually in a state of fear and piety (Taqwa).

2. Hadith and Tradition: There are numerous narrations.
   • Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: (They are a people who love one another for the sake of Allah, without kinship between them or wealth exchanged. By Allah, their faces are light, and they are upon pulpits of light. They do not fear when people fear, nor do they grieve when people grieve.) Then he recited this verse.
   • The Prophet (peace be upon him) also said: (They are those whose very sight reminds Allah Almighty.)
   • The people of deep insight say the reason for this is that witnessing them reminds one of the Hereafter due to the signs of humility and submission seen in them, similar to what Allah mentioned: {Their mark is on their faces, from the trace of prostration} (Al-Fath: 29).

3. Tradition (Athar): Abu Bakr al-Asamm said: The friends of Allah are those whom Allah Almighty took charge of guiding through clear proof, and they, in turn, took charge of fulfilling the right of servitude to Allah and calling others to Him.

4. Rational Proof (Ma'qul):
   • Linguistically, the root W-L-Y indicates closeness. Therefore, the Wali of something is that which is close to it. Closeness to Allah in terms of physical space or direction is impossible.
   • Closeness to Allah is achieved when the heart is completely immersed in the light of knowing Allah Almighty. If he sees, he sees the signs of Allah's power; if he hears, he hears the signs of Allah; if he speaks, he speaks in praise of Allah; if he moves, he moves in service to Allah; if he strives, he strives in obedience to Allah. In that state, he is at the utmost closeness to Allah, and thus he becomes a Wali of Allah.
   • When this is the case, Allah becomes His Wali too, as Allah says: {Allah is the Protector of those who believe. He brings them out from darkness into light} (Al-Baqarah: 257). This must be the case because closeness requires reciprocity.
   • The Scholastics (Mutakallimun) say: The Wali of Allah is one who adheres to correct belief based on evidence and performs righteous deeds according to the Law. This is a brief explanation of the Wali.

This involves two points of inquiry:

Inquiry 1: The Nature of Fear and Grief Fear relates to the future—the fear of something happening later. Grief relates to the past—either because something disliked occurred, or because something loved was missed.

Inquiry 2: The Timing of the Negation Some profound scholars state that the negation of fear and grief applies either in this world or in the transition to the Hereafter.

• The First Case (In This World) is False:
  1. This state cannot occur in the worldly abode because it is the dwelling of fear and grief. The believer, especially, is never free from this, as the Prophet (PBUH) said: (The world is a prison for the believer and a paradise for the disbeliever) and (Paradise is surrounded by hardships, and Hellfire is surrounded by desires).
  2. Even if a believer's life in this world is pleasant, he is never free from intense concern for the Hereafter and grief over failing to perform acts of obedience to Allah.

• Conclusion: Since the first case is void, the statement {No fear will come upon them, nor will they grieve} must apply to the Hereafter. This is the view of the precise scholars.

• View of the Gnostics (Arifin): Wilayah (friendship with Allah) means closeness. The Wali of Allah is one who is extremely close to Allah, which we explained as being completely absorbed in the knowledge of Allah such that, in that moment, nothing other than Allah crosses his mind. In this instant, perfect Wilayah is attained. When this state is present, its possessor fears nothing and grieves over nothing. How could it be otherwise? Fear and grief only arise after perceiving the object of fear or grief. One immersed in the light of Allah's majesty is heedless of everything besides Allah, making fear or grief impossible for him. This is a high station, known only to those who have tasted it.

However, this state may depart from the person, at which point fear, grief, hope, desire, and apprehension may return due to bodily conditions, just as they do for others. It is related that Ibrahim al-Khawwas was in the desert with a companion. One night, a powerful state and complete unveiling occurred to him. He sat in his place, and wild beasts gathered nearby. His disciple climbed a tree in fear of them, but the Shaykh was unfazed by the beasts. The next morning, when the state passed, a mosquito landed on his hand, and he showed distress over the mosquito. The disciple asked, "How does this state compare to the previous one?" The Shaykh replied, "Last night, we endured what we endured due to the strength of the unseen influx. When that influx vanished, I am the weakest of all creatures."

Issue 2: Fear in the Day of Judgment

The majority of precise scholars hold that the people of reward will experience no fear on the Day of Judgment. They support this with:

1. His Almighty saying: {Verily, the friends of Allah—no fear will come upon them, nor will they grieve.}
2. His Almighty saying: {The greatest terror will not grieve them, and the angels will meet them} (Al-Anbiya: 103).
3. Furthermore, the Day of Judgment is the Day of Recompense, so it is not fitting for fear to be inflicted upon them.

Others argue that various types of fear will occur on that Day, citing traditions that support this view. However, the apparent meaning of the Qur'an takes precedence over a solitary report (khabar al-wahid).

There are three interpretations for its grammatical case:

1. Accusative (Nasb): As an adjective describing the Awliya' (friends).
2. Accusative (Nasb): As an expression of praise (Madh).
3. **Nominative (Raf')**: As a new subject, with {Good tidings for them} being the predicate.

There are several sayings regarding the meaning of Al-Bisharah (Good Tidings):

First Saying: It refers to True Dreams (Ru'ya Sadiqa) The Prophet (PBUH) said: (Good tidings are the true dream a Muslim sees or one seen for him.) He also said: (Prophethood has departed, but the glad tidings remain.) And: (The true dream is from Allah, and the nightmare is from Satan. If one of you sees a dream that frightens him, let him seek refuge in Allah and spit to his left three times, and it will not harm him.) He also said: (The true dream is one part out of forty-six parts of prophethood.)

Ibn Mas'ud said dreams are three: a thought one has during the day that he sees at night, the visitation of Satan, and the true dream. Ibrahim said dreams are three: the one that brings good news is one part out of seventy parts of prophethood, something one is concerned about during the day which he might see at night, and frightening illusions from Satan. If one sees something that saddens him, let him say: "I seek refuge in what the angels of Allah seek refuge in from the evil of my dream, that it may not harm me in my worldly life or my Hereafter."

If we interpret {Good tidings for them} as true dreams, the apparent meaning of the text implies this state is exclusive to them. Reason also supports this: the Wali of Allah is one whose heart and spirit are completely absorbed in the remembrance of Allah. When such a person sleeps, only the knowledge of Allah remains in his spirit. It is known that the knowledge of Allah and the light of His majesty only benefit one with truth and sincerity. As for one whose thoughts are scattered across the affairs of this dark, murky world, when he sleeps, he remains so, and thus his dreams cannot be relied upon. For this reason, the verse specifies: {Good tidings for them in the worldly life} in a manner implying exclusivity.

Second Saying: It refers to People’s Love and Praiseworthy Mention This means people love them and mention them with good praise. Abu Dharr reported: I asked, "O Messenger of Allah, a man performs an action for Allah, and people love him." He replied: (That is the immediate good tidings for the believer.)

Intellectual discussions strengthen this meaning: Perfection is inherently beloved for its own sake. Whoever is characterized by an attribute of perfection becomes beloved to everyone. There is no higher or nobler perfection for a servant than being completely absorbed in the knowledge of Allah, his tongue absorbed in the remembrance of Allah, and his limbs absorbed in the servitude of Allah. When something of this nature manifests in him, tongues flow with his praise, and hearts are naturally inclined to love him. The more noble these attributes, the stronger this love. Furthermore, the light of the knowledge of Allah is inherently served. Wherever this light resides in a heart, that person naturally becomes served. Do you not see that beasts of prey may be stronger than humans, yet when they witness a human, they become fearful and flee? This is only due to the awe inspired by the rational soul.

Third Saying: It refers to the Good Tidings Received at Death This refers to the angels descending upon them: {The angels will descend upon them, [saying], "Do not fear and do not grieve, but receive good tidings of Paradise"} (Fussilat: 30).

As for the good tidings in the Hereafter, it is the greeting of the angels, as Allah says: {And the angels will enter upon them from every gate, [Saying], "Peace be upon you"} (Ar-Ra'd: 23), and the greeting of Allah: {Peace—a saying from a Merciful Lord} (Ya-Sin: 58). Included in this are the white faces, receiving the records in their right hands, and the pleasant states they encounter—all of these are forms of good tidings.

Fourth Saying: It refers to what Allah has promised His pious servants in His Book and through the tongues of His Prophets—His Paradise and Noble Reward. The evidence is His saying: {Their Lord gives them good tidings of mercy from Him and His pleasure} (At-Tawbah: 21).

Know that the word Bisharah (good tidings) is derived from joyful news whose effect appears on the facial complexion (basharah). Therefore, everything that fits this description falls under this verse. The sum of the matters mentioned above share this characteristic, so all of them are included. Everything related to the worldly life from these perspectives falls under {Good tidings for them in the worldly life}, and everything related to the Hereafter falls under {and in the Hereafter}.

When Allah Almighty described the state of the friends of Allah and explained their conditions, He said: {There is no altering the words of Allah.} This means there is no contradiction in them, and kalimah (word) and qawl (saying) are synonymous. This is similar to His saying: {My word is not changed} (Qaf: 29). This reinforces that the intended meaning of Bisharah is Allah's promise of reward and honor to those who obey Him, as in {Their Lord gives them good tidings of mercy from Him and His pleasure}.

Then Allah clarifies that {That is the great attainment}, similar to His saying: {When you look, you will see pleasure and a great kingdom} (Al-Insan: 20).

The Judge (Al-Qadi) then said: The statement {There is no altering the words of Allah} implies that they are capable of being altered, and anything capable of being altered cannot be eternal. Similar reasoning is used when citing abrogation (naskh) to argue that the ruling of Allah cannot be eternal. We have discussed similar arguments previously.

< {Nor let their speech grieve you. Indeed, honor belongs to Allah entirely. He is the Hearer, the Knower. *Verily, to Allah belongs whoever is in the heavens and whoever is on the earth. And those who call upon partners besides Allah do not follow [anything] except assumption, and they are not but conjecturing.} >